Dear Colleagues,
Now that we are fully immersed in the Fall Semester, I would like to convey some thoughts and news about the Research and Economic Development Division (REDD). At REDD, we are passionately committed to enabling our faculty, staff, and students to achieve excellence in research and other scholarly activities.
During this year we focused on adequately staffing all units, streamlining processes, and improving customer service. Our campus-serving staff, including those in the Pre-Award Services Office, the Research Development and EPSCOR/IDeA Office, the Technology Transfer Office, and the Research Security and Compliance Office, have met twice in the past several months to learn about customer-focused service standards and continuous process improvement. We are striving to improve several processes to decrease administrative burdens and reduce valuable time it has taken to complete actions and tasks as well as execute processes. We hope you notice a difference in the services they provide in the spring semester because of the changes they are committing to implement. Meanwhile, various trainings offered by these units can be viewed on the REDD website.
During the Board of Trustees meeting in January 2025, we will be celebrating some of the amazing work performed by UW faculty and students at our annual Excellence in Research and Innovation event. This snapshot in time underscores UW’s dedication to advancing knowledge, fostering innovation and making significant contributions to society through research. At that time, we will also present REDD’s annual report. Each time I review the performance indicators of REDD, I am amazed by the accomplishments of our faculty and scientists.
Please note that the Wyoming Outdoor Recreation, Tourism and Hospitality (WORTH) Initiative recently transitioned to the WORTH Institute, which will report to REDD. This will be the newest of the campus-wide centers and institutes that encompass research and engagement activities across multiple departments, schools, and colleges.
Finally, I would like to point to the stellar research, service and work performed
at the UW Research Institute at AMK Ranch this year as just one of many examples across
the REDD landscape that support our mission to attain research excellence. Dr. Sarah Collins, who assumed permanent directorship of the Institute this summer, reports that:
• Wyoming residents – including visitors, educators, students and researchers – accounted
for nearly three-quarters of the usage of AMK Ranch in 2024 (nearly 2,000 visit days
from about 1,400 visitors/users). Events hosted at AMK included a UW kinesiology conference,
a UW Law School retreat, an NPS wildlife group and a Haub School event;
• This year’s Hank Harlow Series Seminars proved ever more popular with 60-110 attendees
at each of the eight events;
• AMK Ranch hosted a dozen projects funded through this year’s UW-National Park Service
small grant program. These $5,000 grants support student research and provide seed
funding for emerging research projects;
• Dr. Collins calls out the impactful work of Anne Beeman, a UW graduate student pursuing
a master's degree in botany. Anne worked with Grand Teton National Park Branch Chief
of Vegetation Management Laura Jones on research that will help land management personnel
throughout the western U.S. understand drivers of sagebrush habitat restoration outcomes
and techniques to optimize success.
As always, I encourage you to visit REDD’s website at https://www.uwyo.edu/research/index.html to learn about and stay informed about the incredible scope of research and innovation opportunities and support available to you. These pages provide a full view of the many and varied offices, centers, and institutes that make up this critically important division of the University! We’re currently working on major improvements to REDD web pages through the end of the year, so please revisit from time to time. My staff and I welcome any comments or feedback you might have as we continuously strive to expand and refine resources for you across the broad spectrum of research and intellectual property commercialization services REDD has to offer.
Sincere regards,
Parag Chitnis, PhD.
Vice President, Research and Economic Development
Old Main 308
(307) 766-5353
pchitnis@uwyo.edu
